Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 9th, 2011
“Ride into this world all alone. God takes your soul. You're on your own.
The crow flies straight, a perfect line on the devil's back until you die.
Gotta look this life in the eye”.
When these guys send a message, they don’t use Western Union. Not only will they blow up your warehouse, but they’ll catch one of your guys and plant a stick of dynamite in his butt cheeks to set off the explosion. That’s the world of the motorcycle club, the Sons Of Anarchy. In the wake of The Shield, FX stays true to form with the latest from that show’s alumni Kurt Sutter. Sons Of Anarchy has a familiar tone and quality to it for fans of that now-gone cop drama. There’s a lot of handheld camera stuff, and you have very similar themes.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2011
"A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one other, it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 8th, 2011
"Every story has a beginning, but ours doesn't start the way you might think. Sure, it begins on a street that looks like most and with a family that was, for the most part, normal...ordinary."
Superheroes are big business these days. I'm not just talking the blockbuster tentpole films, either. Television has enjoyed a bit of a resurgence thanks to shows like Heroes. All we've been waiting for was someone to come up with a fresh take on the whole thing. We almost got that with No Ordinary Family. It came close, but you remember what they say about horseshoes and hand grenades. The show had great potential and some rather impressive star power. And, as the man on the box of rice keeps telling us: "With great power comes great responsibility". After watching a full season in just under a week I found that I was underwhelmed more than I was wowed. And to think it all started out so promising...
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on September 7th, 2011
Somehow in addition to my love for bad action movies and cartoons, I have developed another feather in my cap as being one of the people on this site that regularly reviews concerts and musical documentaries on dvd or blu-ray. This is despite the fact that about the only musical talent I possess is the ability to sing glam metal or hair band rock. Okay, perhaps I can sing some other rock songs too but I would not consider myself a musical aficionado. So today’s musical act to review? That would be the Counting Crows.
Most people when they hear the band name Counting Crows think of the song, Mr. Jones, a very curious alternative rock hit that blew up the radio rock airwaves in late 93 and early 94. The truth is that song was an unexpected hit for the band who sang the song out of fun and fantasy. Lead singer Adam Duritz ’s childhood friend, Marty Jones (Himalayans bassist) was one of the inspirations for that song that spoke of the desire of musicians who wanted it to make it big.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2011
In many ways Cougar Town appears to be Friends 20 or more years later. It's not just the fact that the former Friends star Courtney Cox heads the call sheet on the new situation comedy. There are a ton of other elements that appear to tie the shows together. Like the old NBC show, the core of this show is a tight group of friends. They have a lot of the same kinds of adventures and conversations as the old gang used to have. The big difference here is that the adventures and the talk come from an older, if not more mature, perspective. They still talk a little too much about sex, except now the characters are in their 40's, so the tone of that conversation has changed up a bit. Call it a 40's version of Friends meets Sex And The City.
I actually hadn't been familiar with the term Cougar until recently. I listen to Minnesota sports radio so that I can keep up with the Vikings even here in Tampa. One of the hosts a year or so ago got in trouble at a club event when he referred to the ladies in the audience as Cougars. He later did a show segment where he was trying to find out from listeners if the term was an insult or not. The audience was divided, so I still don't know if most women in this position consider the term derogatory or not. It basically refers to a woman at least in her 40's who dates men younger than herself. But there does appear to be some controversy over the show's title. Apparently there was a rumor that the series was going to change its name for season 2. I'm not sure if the show's runners had seriously considered the move, but that doesn't stop them from having a blast with the idea. Each episode features a comic remark above the title. The remarks include: "It's okay to watch a show called..." or "Titles are hard".
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on September 1st, 2011
"It's a question we all ask ourselves. Do I trust the people who live next door? Will that couple across the street be there when I need them? Can I count on the woman who lives down the block? Yes, good neighbors are people we can rely on. But if we discover our neighbor can't be trusted, then it may be time to move."
What you can count on from the neighbors of Wisteria Lane is another season of secrets, betrayals, and fashionable housewives.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by BABY on August 31st, 2011
Baby here again, and I'm not exactly a happy German Shepherd/Chow mix puppy right now. Do you wanna know what's put the growl in my scowl this time? The other day I heard Gino say that somebody was in the doghouse. That sure sounded like fun, but it turns out the dude got fired and that being in the doghouse turns out to be not such a good thing. Now I understand if they said that UPS was in this dog's house. That would be bad for the UPS guy. And that spells O U C H. But why is it that humans say that when someone is in trouble. Heck, I spent most of my life in a doghouse, and I was havin' a good time. I never got fired or yelled at. Okay, I made that last part up. Yeah, I get yelled at all of the time, but it's never exactly my fault, you understand. How 'bout you guys start saying cathouse when someone's in trouble, although I think I heard someone use that word to describe something else. Never mind.
You know what else puts me in a snarlin' mood? It's when a studio takes a really good movie and decides to put out a new movie with the same name, 'cept they really don't have anything to do with each other. Somebody's just looking to get a bowlful of treats without working too hard. Me, I work for my treats, which reminds me... Anyway, that's exactly what you get with Marley & Me: The Puppy Years.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2011
"You cannot run from a vampire."
Posted in: Disc Reviews by M. W. Phillips on August 26th, 2011
“The windows around here are not big enough for you?”
Writer/Director Keith Bearden’s debut film, Meet Monica Velour, seduces you like raunchy 70s porn star, but finishes you off with a happy ending like a cheap masseuse in a roadside massage parlor. Not that this is a sex comedy, nor are the stars particularly sexy (except for Jamie Tisdale who plays young Monica Velour who is very, very hot), but the theme is about sexual illusions. Illusions from a time long past, when pornos tried to be movies instead of a series of masturbation loops and there was an ironic air of innocence to the whole smutty affair.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Gino Sassani on August 26th, 2011
Dexter Morgan (Hall) is a forensic lab rat for the Miami-Dade Police. He really knows blood splatter. He should, because he moonlights as a killer. It seems that poor old Dex just can’t help himself. His parents were criminals, and he witnessed his mother’s brutal slashing by a chainsaw gang when he was just a young boy. He was adopted by Harry Morgan (Remar), a police officer. Harry saw the killer instinct in Dexter and taught him how to channel the urges for the sake of good. Dexter adopted Harry’s Code, which means he only kills others that he’s able to prove were killers themselves. His father continues to guide him through his own mind, meaning we get to see Pop even though he's gone. Working for the police with his officer sister, Debra (Carpenter), Dexter is constantly just on the verge of getting caught. He has to adapt and evolve to avoid capture.
“Most actors toil in obscurity, never stepping into the spotlight. But if you hone your craft, work diligently, you might just find yourself cast in the role of a lifetime.”
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